Leon's Story by Leon Walter Tillage

By Anonymous, Saratoga Springs, NY

Image Credit: Alexis C., Phoenix, AZ

For a reading assignment I read Leon’s Story by Leon Tillage. It is an autobiography about a young boy who was a sharecropper’s son. The book’s copyright date is 1997 and it’s genre is nonfiction. Leon grew up in the Jim Crow era where racism ran rampant in the south and segregation was at its peak. Overall, I would highly recommend this book to other middle school students. This book was, in my opinion, fantastic. This simple looking book carries an emotional punch that will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time you’re reading it.

This book tells the story of a young boy trying to live his life through the almost impossible barrier of segregation. The detailed description of the horrors he had to face will make you cringe. Imagine for one second running for your life from a small pack of vicious dogs, for no reason but to entertain the people who set the dogs on you. Imagine being second class to everyone, being treated as dirt. This was the life that Leon Walter Tillage faced. At first, I picked this book up as an easy read and wanted to rush through it. By the time I read the first chapter, I was thoroughly engaged and interested in the book. This book was extremely good and I would recommend it to anyone who likes books of this genre. Overall a great book, 5 out of 5.

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